With the growing economic and lifestyle changes people have also become concerned about environmental changes that has brought global warming with various disease. Earth Day is one such occasion to push the responsibility and awareness to each and every individual contributing to the global warming through their share of Carbon Footprint (CF).
New phenomenon related to climate has become a routine event including rise in temperature, changes in monsoon pattern etc. Two year back grass was noticed in Antarctica while three years back snowfall in UAE not only surprised people of UAE, a desert nation but the whole world too.
Earth Day is celebrated since 1970 on April 22, this day has become one of the most celebrated occasion of the world where people unite to educate each other, march in the street showing the environmental concern, schools organise debate, presentation and to make the occasion more auspicious and eventful, plant trees.
Though still there are zombies who are unaware of one of the immortal fact that environment too can die an unnatural death if not given protection and they keep on misusing the energy resources and other with the power of money. Unaware of that there are lots to be done and each one can contribute to the betterment of environment through various small steps.
The popular concept is through downsizing CF which is a measure of human activities on environment in terms of green house gasses produced measured in units of carbon dioxide.
CF can be lessen by taking the matter seriously and changing our lifestyle accordingly, accommodating eco friendly gadgets, using public transport, planting as much trees in our surrounding.
Scandinavian countries are going green with their energy policies and are developing renewable energy resource to fulfill the energy requirements.
After China’s air pollution becomes a major concern ahead of Beijing Olympics, it took prompt action and the communist government sends guidelines to the citizens to follow car share scheme. Though it is a small step but by cutting the number of car from the road can reduce earth from getting polluted many times.
Many concerned people are cutting air travels to reduce the carbon footprint, investing less and less on packaged food and bottled water which could have travelled a long distance by adding more CF.
Yes! Every small acts count, now the time has come where people, corporate firms, schools and government must take onus to reduce the huge burden of earth.
Earth Day Network which has taken a massive task to spread environmental awareness across the world; some interesting but alarming data given under Climate Change Fact Sheet are:
• By 2030 the number of automobiles in the world will increase by 50%. • According to Chevron, the world consumes two barrels of oil for every barrel discovered. • It took 125 years to consume the first trillion barrels of oil – the world will consume the next trillion in only 30 years, according to Chevron. • By 2030 the world will consume 47% more oil than it did in 2003. • During the last one hundred years the global temperature has warmed between 0.7-1.5°C. • It is predicted that global temperatures in 2100 will be 1.4-5.8°C warmer than they were in 1990. • The current pace of sea-level rise is 50% faster then in the last century. • Scientists estimate the sea level will rise by 3.5-34.6 inches by 2100. • Much of the United States has already warmed, by as much as 4°F. • The five warmest years over last century have likely been: 2005, 1998, 2002, 2003, 2004. The top 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1990. • Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, carbon dioxide (a green house gas linked to climate change) in the atmosphere has increased by 35%. • Diseases such as malaria are predicted to spread as the world grows warmer, due to the carriers of disease spreading out over a larger geographical area. • Of particular concern is the stability of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. A sudden collapse would raise sea levels 16-20 feet, though the likelihood of such a collapse before the year 2100 is low. • Despite natural emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted by volcanoes, for example, human activities are now adding about 7 billion metric tons of carbon into the atmosphere every year. • New energy discoveries are mainly occurring in places where resources are difficult to extract-physically, technically, economically, and politically. • Oil production is in decline in 33 of the 48 largest oil producing countries, 3 yet energy demand is increasing around the globe as economies grow and nations develop. • Oil and gas currently provide more than half of the world’s energy supply, and according to the International Energy Agency, they—along with coal (which also releases CO2)—will continue to be the major sources of energy well into the 21st century unless things are changed. • The International Energy Agency estimates that the world will need to invest $16 trillion over the next three decades to maintain and expand energy supply. • Over half the world’s oil supplies lie in just 5 countries. • Agriculture and biodiversity are already being impacted by global warming. 10% of all known plant species are under threat of extinction. • Over 20 Million Americans, 6.3 million of which are children, suffer from asthma. Public health experts are worries that those numbers will rise with continued greenhouse gas emissions. • People living in cities such as Atlanta, Baltimore, and Cincinnati could by mid-century see a 60% increase in the number of high smog level days. • Diseases such as malaria and West Nile virus will occur in large numbers in the United States as a result of warmer temperatures. • The Arctic ice pack has lost an area about twice the size of Texas since the mid-1970. • Automobiles count for almost a third of the U.S.'s Carbon Dioxide (CO2) emissions - the largest source after power plants. • Each gallon of gasoline burned creates 20 pounds of CO2. • Vehicles in the United States release more CO2 than all the energy sources (such as heating, electricity, vehicles, and factories) in all of India. • As many as 15-37% of all wildlife species in some regions could be "committed to extinction" by 2050 years because of global climate change. • Salmon, trout, and waterfowl are particularly vulnerable to climate change. • Climate change is having a disastrous effect on coral reefs, including in the Florida Keys, the Bahamas, and Mexico. • Winter temperatures in the Arctic have warmed by as much as 7° F over the last 60 years, a faster rate than in any other region. This affects wildlife such as foxes, caribou, walruses, and polar bears. It also affects the lifestyles of native peoples in the Arctic. • By planting a large tree that creates shade, one can reduce heating and cooling costs annually by up to 40%.
[The above fact sheet is taken from http://www.earthday.net/resources/2006materials/cc-facts_1.aspx ]
|
|
Read More: Una
Comments:
